The Boise School District trustee candidates are rightfully outraged that the district gives flagrantly biased special treatment to the Boise Education Association (BEA) and its endorsed candidates. Playing favorites and barring a free exchange of information has been commonplace in the district for years.

A recent editorial by Rep. Scott Bedke, Idaho’s Speaker of the House, points out that selective use of statistics can paint a dreary and unenlightened landscape of the success of a state’s teachers and students.

As the country honors the one-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy last weekend, lawmakers, school administrators, teachers, and parents continue to work on improving school safety. While we struggle to find a balance that keeps students safe, Lansing, Michigan legislators have found an interesting means of mitigating school violence – a tip line.

With the holiday season in full swing, your students are probably not the only ones looking forward to exchanging gifts. Whether it’s a gift card, a free coffee, or homemade Christmas goodies, almost every teacher looks forward to a gift from their school or students’ parents. However, before you rush out and purchase gifts for colleagues, check in with your school’s gift policies. According to reports, recent changes to school policies could potentially limit gifts teachers give and receive.

AAE’s Arkansas state chapter, the Arkansas State Teachers Association (ASTA), was honored to be part of a coalition that was successful in reducing health care premiums for education employees. After a 33-hour special session and a package of bills approved over the weekend, the state will use surplus money this year and redirect state funds in future years to lower teachers' insurance premiums. Governor Beebe signed the bills into law on Monday.
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After a tumultuous introduction to the new school year, Indiana continues to face challenges as many are questioning why A-F school grades have yet to be revealed to the public. Indiana was once leading the charge among states to rank schools via easy-to-understand letter grading.
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Since the National Council on Teacher Quality’s (NCTQ) recent report on teacher-preparation, the subject of new teacher requirements has been a hot topic. Recently, California signed a bill granting more flexibility to teacher preparation programs.

The Texas House of Representatives recently approved HB5, which would restructure the state's high school graduation requirements, reducing the number of end-of-course exams from fifteen to five and eliminating the requirement that these tests comprise 15% of students' overall grade.

Welcome to the Association of American Educators' online biweekly publication, Reform Matters. This education reform-focused publication features both original AAE content and a compilation of the latest news from the growing education reform community.

Yesterday, AAE staff had the pleasure of attending a forum on President Obama's universal pre-school plan. The discussion was lead by Sara Mead, associate partner at Education Partners and former director of the Early Education Initiative at the New American Foundation, and Grover J "Russ" Whitehurst, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy and the Brookings Institution and former director of the Institute for Education Sciences.

Many people view cursive writing as analogous to a spare tire, it's not completely necessary but it's definitely a good tool to have in your repertoire. However, the Idaho State Board of Education highly values cursive, enough, in fact, to make it a requirement for Idaho schools. The measure passed with a recent vote in the Senate.

Recently, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee transitioned to a three-year pilot program that adds 300 hours to the school year. The program will affect nearly 20,000 students in 40 schools. The news comes on the heels of bipartisan recommendations from both lawmakers and reform advocates who are calling for increased instruction time.
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A recent report by the Education Intelligence Agency sheds light on the financial disclosures of the National Education Association in the 2011-2012 fiscal year. The analysis reveals that the NEA spent over $15 million dollars of member dues on a wide array of left-leaning advocacy groups and charities.
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For years, researchers have understood that the classroom environment can have an effect on student learning. Whether that means having a comfortable chair, a great desk, or a place to get some exercise, teachers and students both need functional spaces to teach and learn. According to a recent study, school design can impact student learning by as much as 25% in early grades.

Today, lawmakers in Michigan approved Right-to-Work legislation by a 58-51 vote. The controversial saga over freedom of choice for workers is drawing not just national attention, but also thousands of union-led protesters to the Capitol grounds today. Governor Rick Snyder is expected to sign the measure this week.

It's no surprise that the internet is rapidly becoming the primary means of communication between teachers and parents. However, community demographic differences often bring varying levels of computer and internet accessibility across the country. Some parents may not be able to afford the internet, while others may not be computer literate.

The votes are in and the people have spoken. President Obama's re-election means four more years of unprecedented federal education spending and education reform-minded competitive grants. As the dust settles on the 2012 election, experts arepredicting a continuation of an active Department of Education and changes to some controversial state education laws.
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Education has been a consistent theme in the 2012 presidential campaign. Although each candidate offers a different solution to improving America's education system, both President Obama and Governor Romney acknowledge that education reform is a critical part of their political platform. Regardless of the outcome next week, it is clear that the 2012 election will have a lasting impact on federal spending and K-12 education for years to come.